An attorney for Abigail Zwerner, a first grade teacher who was shot and seriously injured by her 6-year-old student, claims the school had prior knowledge of the firearm. Specifically, they alleged administrators were issued three warnings about the child and still failed to act, according to The Associated Press.
Here’s The Moment 20/20 Co-Anchor Deborah Roberts Felt Like She Made It | Securing the Bag: Part 5
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“On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times — three times — school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered,” said attorney Diane Toscano via AP.
Previous reports said the administration checked the boy’s backpack and didn’t find a firearm but issued a warning of a potential firearm before the shooting. Now, it’s alleged they had three times the heads up.
Toscano said around 11 a.m. that day, the boy threatened to punch another student. Then, around 12:30 p.m., a teacher searched the boy’s backpack but believed a firearm was in his pocket. Thirty minutes later, a teacher reported her student said the boy flashed his gun and threatened to shoot him. One more employee asked to check his back and allegedly was told to “wait the situation out” because the school day was almost over.
Can we pause here right quick? My teacher wasted no time apprehending me in the first grade because I told my classmate to “mind his damn business.”A child shouldn’t even get passed the morning announcements with a gun on him.
That’s not it either. Zwerner had known her student had a gun before the shooting as well.
Read more from NBC News:
The Virginia teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student texted a loved one before she was wounded that the boy was armed and that school officials were failing to act, according to a source close to the situation.
The source on Tuesday said Abigail Zwerner sent the text about an hour before she was shot on Jan. 6, saying that the student said he had a gun in his backpack and administrators at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News weren’t helping.
The text “showed her frustration,” said the source, who only disclosed details of the single text message to NBC News and not the messages that came before or after it. “She was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming.”
Last week, district staff members and parents shared a slew of claims about safety and student discipline being put on the back burner by the school board. Richneck Elementary… I’m afraid y’all ain’t beating these allegations.
